Where might new clubs come from?

[Kingdom]

The only thing with Cabo under age is they have so many teams, everybody gets a game. I used to referee in DDSL and a couple of times up there they played kids with very obvious disabilities, one kid had cerebral palsy and wasn't great on his feet but they still played him, they are a very inclusive club at Underage and at the lower levels it's about giving kids a game not about results

Only coming to this late in the day, but I can concur 100% with this. I was involved with a South dublin side a few years ago, and while Cabinteely were not in the SDFL, we developed a good rapport with two of their teams with friendlies and a couple of tournaments. We were a club whose players are football players in Primary school and rugby players in secondary school, and could have some really distorted sides thrown together from one week to the next. One particular friendly we played their team below the LoI level, and beat them somewhat surprisingly. Played them a few weeks later and had to field essentially half our third team, which would have been the weakest division in Dublin, and likely the country, and they were very very decent about it, and essentially sent out their weakest team to complement our situation, no questions asked.
The ethos at the club is exactly what a football club should be, and it's one of the reasons I hope they succeed at LoI level. Nothing but the greatest respect for that club.

[GUFCghost]

https://www.extratime.com/articles/27848/colin-healy-we-need-something-like-an-under-23-league/

Is there an appetite to bring back the A-Championship?

[Neish]

https://www.extratime.com/articles/27848/colin-healy-we-need-something-like-an-under-23-league/

Is there an appetite to bring back the A-Championship?

Really need something like the A-Championship, U-23 with 2 or 3 over 23's allowed in a match day squad. It can be a big jump from u19 level to senior and at present there is nothing to bridge the gap, think they should of set this up before the U15's and U13's tbh

[pineapple stu]

15s and 13s were mandated by UEFA.

A B team in the LSL or equivalent should be fine. Although our basket case of a pyramid isn't conducive to it in some areas (Ulster being an obvious example)

[sbgawa]

reserve teams playing in the lower divisons (first division) like other European countries.
No point in trying to reinvent the wheel

[pineapple stu]

Yup. And like we had here for 45 years until the LoI B Division was formed.

[legendz]

https://www.extratime.com/articles/27848/colin-healy-we-need-something-like-an-under-23-league/

Is there an appetite to bring back the A-Championship?
How many teams are required to form a league? At least 8?
The A Championship partly failed because Premier Division clubs were required to field an A team. Some did so grudgingly.
With the youth leagues in place, the final peace of the structure is a league between youth and senior. Shamrock Rovers, UCD and Cork City are the only standout clubs that are interested.

[pineapple stu]

I don't think UCD would be particularly interested in a 23s league in fairness.

[nigel-harps1954]

How many teams are required to form a league? At least 8?
The A Championship partly failed because Premier Division clubs were required to field an A team. Some did so grudgingly.
With the youth leagues in place, the final peace of the structure is a league between youth and senior. Shamrock Rovers, UCD and Cork City are the only standout clubs that are interested.

I think you'll find Finn Harps were very keen to keep the A Championship and one of the clubs that entered a team willingly into it, despite being in the First Division at the time..

[kksaints]

I don't think UCD would be particularly interested in a 23s league in fairness.

Where do UCD get their players for the underage leagues out of curiosity?

[pineapple stu]

Link up is with Mount Merrion; the 13s/15s is basically the MM team.

17s then is a mix and 19s is more a UCD team. Players get scouted from underage leagues and apply for scholarships too of course

[Bucket]

Are all the players from 19's and seniors on scholarships of some sort?

[legendz]

I don't think UCD would be particularly interested in a 23s league in fairness.
I thought UCD were proactive members of the A Championship from the First Division when they were not required to do so??


I think you'll find Finn Harps were very keen to keep the A Championship and one of the clubs that entered a team willingly into it, despite being in the First Division at the time..
I haven't forgotten Finn Harps and Limerick being proactive members.
I thought the the A Championship should have been retained but without the requirement on Premier Division clubs to be involved.
If at least 8 clubs between LoI B teams and non-LoI entities could form an intermediary league, that's my blueprint for the way forward;
Shamrock Rovers B
Cork City B
Finn Harps B
Treaty United B
Kerry
Carlow-Kilkenny*
Cavan-Monaghan*
Kildare*

* = currently only at U17 level, so probably a few years away from possible interest in an intermediary league offering a pathway to the First Division.

[pineapple stu]

Are all the players from 19's and seniors on scholarships of some sort?
19s wouldn't be. Many wouldn't even be in college yet. So for example Jamie McGrath played for our 19s but then didn't get the points for UCD; went to Maynooth instead and joined Pat's, who I think had a linkup with Maynooth

Most of the senior squad would be in scholarship and since I think 2017 it's been pretty much entirely a student team

[pineapple stu]

I thought UCD were proactive members of the A Championship from the First Division when they were not required to do so??
Yes when it was a reserve division.

What's the point for us in a 23s league when we already have a 19s team? Our senior team is all under 23

The A Championship is a terrible idea anyway. Just create a proper pyramid and let B teams in at whatever level - third tier I guess. Solves lots of problems. The A Championship just adds another level onto the stupid-league-structure issue we already have. As Tralee Dynamoes will probably confirm

[Briuk]

reserve teams playing in the lower divisons (first division) like other European countries.
No point in trying to reinvent the wheel

Totally agree, 3d tier regionalized and whoever wants can play a reserve squad in that tier...

[Bucket]

19s wouldn't be. Many wouldn't even be in college yet. So for example Jamie McGrath played for our 19s but then didn't get the points for UCD; went to Maynooth instead and joined Pat's, who I think had a linkup with Maynooth

Most of the senior squad would be in scholarship and since I think 2017 it's been pretty much entirely a student team
That's a lot of scholarships to be handing out. I never would have put UCD down as having the fourth biggest budget in the LOI!

[legendz]

Yes when it was a reserve division.

What's the point for us in a 23s league when we already have a 19s team? Our senior team is all under 23

The A Championship is a terrible idea anyway. Just create a proper pyramid and let B teams in at whatever level - third tier I guess. Solves lots of problems. The A Championship just adds another level onto the stupid-league-structure issue we already have. As Tralee Dynamoes will probably confirm
I'm in favour of a reserve league, B league, A Championship, whatever name they want to put on it!
The pyramid is not the solution. You could have a repeat of the Galway situation of too many clubs in one area. Let's learn the lessons of history and not repeat.
The Youth Leagues have the right approach of allowing non-LoI entities from non-LoI areas only, bar one exception due to successful lobbying on their behalf.
The Reserve League should be the next step after u19s but completely optional. Allow non-LoI entities. The best non-LoI entity should be allowed to take on the last team from the First Division in a promotion/relegation playoff, and naturally only prompted if they win and meet the First Division licence fudgy criteria!

[pineapple stu]

You're right that we should learn the lessons of history and not repeat them. And the Galway situation arose because there was no pyramid and anyone who was interested got let in.

Every country in Europe has a pyramid except us. Ruud Dokter has been in favour of a pyramid since day one. It flushes out deadwood and brings in new blood. If they're not any good, they get relegated again.

Ask Tralee Dynamos if the A Championship is the way forward.

[legendz]

You're right that we should learn the lessons of history and not repeat them. And the Galway situation arose because there was no pyramid and anyone who was interested got let in.

Every country in Europe has a pyramid except us. Ruud Dokter has been in favour of a pyramid since day one. It flushes out deadwood and brings in new blood. If they're not any good, they get relegated again.

Ask Tralee Dynamos if the A Championship is the way forward.
Ruud Dokter also said you have to find a solution that suits the individuality of each country. An intermediary league is an Irish solution for an Irish problem.
Kerry, Cavan-Monaghan, Carlow-Kilkenny and Kilkenny are in the Youth Leagues. Access to the Youth Leagues has not been a free for all. Apply the same criteria to an intermediary league and get on with the game.

[pineapple stu]

Ruud Dokter said (https://migueldelaney.com/2014/10/08/the-kids-arent-alright-the-real-problem-with-irish-football-part-one/) "I’m here because I’ve come from a country with a big history in youth development. I’m not here to copy that system but I’m here to instil some principles of development, which are all over the world the same… you need to have a pyramid structure, one way or another." (My emphasis)

An intermediary league has failed for the past decades, from the A Championship to the LoI B Division formed in the mid 60s, to the LSL since 1922. Why would you expect anything to change now?

The description "an Irish solution for an Irish problem" is meaningless.

[legendz]

Ruud Dokter said (https://migueldelaney.com/2014/10/08/the-kids-arent-alright-the-real-problem-with-irish-football-part-one/) "I’m here because I’ve come from a country with a big history in youth development. I’m not here to copy that system but I’m here to instil some principles of development, which are all over the world the same… you need to have a pyramid structure, one way or another." (My emphasis)



"I acknowledge the good work schoolboy clubs do but I'm looking at the bigger picture," said Dokter. "It's vital to have a structured pathway to the top of the pyramid.

"We want everyone in Ireland to collaborate. This is a perfect fit for our best young players who don't go away to England."
The Dokter seems to be speaking of the youth pyramid as opposed to the pineapple pyramid?


An intermediary league has failed for the past decades, from the A Championship to the LoI B Division formed in the mid 60s, to the LSL since 1922. Why would you expect anything to change now?

The description "an Irish solution for an Irish problem" is meaningless.
However a number of B Division teams, including Home Farm, Athlone Town, UCD, Longford Town and Monaghan United, were subsequently elected to the senior division??

[pineapple stu]

No, Dokter (and that article in general) is talking about the overall pyramid, as the below extract makes clear.


If the ideal is a pyramid, it is actually very difficult to describe what the current shape of Irish football is. It doesn’t even have fully joined-up lines.

Broadly speaking, there are three main pillars: schoolboy (the SFAI), junior (the provincial FAs) and senior (the League of Ireland). Between those pillars, the links are unclear. Within them, there are even more disparate blocks and often multiple different leagues in the same county, some of them with no defined place in the structure.

A kind view would call it an Escher painting. A harsh one would call it a mess.

Rather than clear steps, there have traditionally been gaps and ceilings everywhere, with the situation historically complicated by endless political issues.

It is for that reason that, while Dokter’s end point may be clear, the path there is not.

One FAI employee tells the story of a meeting he was at in 2008, when a pyramid structure was being discussed. “Why bother,” came one response. “It’s a political nightmare.”


However a number of B Division teams, including Home Farm, Athlone Town, UCD, Longford Town and Monaghan United, were subsequently elected to the senior division??
So what? How does that mean it's an appropriate solution? They would have been promoted earlier in a normal situation (or indeed not promoted at all until they were good enough, like in UCD's case)

[Eminence Grise]

If you’re a certain vintage you might remember Donal Foley’s Man Bites Dog in the Irish Times. There was one where facing two problems – calls to legalise contraception and help native industry – Foley suggested that the only available condoms should be ones made of Gaeltarra tweed. Like PS says, an Irish solution to an Irish problem doesn’t work. There are plenty of structures and models we can tweak and refine but we don’t need to create something new and unique when pyramids work everywhere else.

Once I finish solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, I’ll get stuck into this pyramid, (always start with the easy negotiations, right?)
1 pro league
1 semi-pro league
2 North-South amateur/semi-pro leagues
(could have Pro u23s?)
4 provincial leagues
8 regional leagues
24 district leagues (mergers, mergers mergers)

[sbgawa]

If you’re a certain vintage you might remember Donal Foley’s Man Bites Dog in the Irish Times. There was one where facing two problems – calls to legalise contraception and help native industry – Foley suggested that the only available condoms should be ones made of Gaeltarra tweed. Like PS says, an Irish solution to an Irish problem doesn’t work. There are plenty of structures and models we can tweak and refine but we don’t need to create something new and unique when pyramids work everywhere else.

Once I finish solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, I’ll get stuck into this pyramid, (always start with the easy negotiations, right?)
1 pro league
1 semi-pro league
2 North-South amateur/semi-pro leagues
(could have Pro u23s?)
4 provincial leagues
8 regional leagues
24 district leagues (mergers, mergers mergers)

I'm thinking of sorting out Afganistan before i get into the really tricky stuff like getting the local league Turkeys to vote for Christmas.

[legendz]

No, Dokter (and article in general) is talking about the overall pyramid, as the below extract makes clear.
Dokter should take the advice at the end of that quote; “Why bother”, “It’s a political nightmare.” and instil some principles of development.


So what? How does that mean it's an appropriate solution? They would have been promoted earlier in a normal situation (or indeed not promoted at all until they were good enough, like in UCD's case)
It's a compromise solution. LoI clubs can field reserve teams. Non-LoI entities can build up structures around a team, with the aim of achieving a First Division licence and also gaining promotion on the field of play.

[GUFCghost]

I think what really killed the A-Championship was the recession. The first thing a town needs for a decent amateur/semi-pro sports team is men in their 20s, which in 2010s Ireland was lacking.

I might be speaking from the trauma of Galway's crisis in the early 2010s, but I don't see a pyramid as the answer. Wexford and Limerick look like they could repeat that crisis again, which would be depressing. We already have two clubs with basically no supporters, maybe more. Imagine if Cabo and UCD were in the premier division? Imagine stradbrook on TV, it would be a disaster.

Intermediate football in this country doesn't exist. When you look at the LSL website, the divisions are divided by days of the week. It's hard to work out who exactly are the best non-league team in Leinster is because these clubs obviously don't care about being the best non-league team in Leinster. There hasn't been a Connacht league in years,too.

We need proper intermediate leagues with decent regional spread, linked to junior football. I don't see the point in forcing them to LOI level after that. A club/local FA interested in setting up a club should go through some kind of bidding process and start in the a-championship. Call a spade a spade and admit that we have a franchise league.

And sure, other european countries have pyramids. That doesn't mean it'll work here, that doesn't even mean it works there. Plenty of eastern european leagues where big clubs play in the same division as teams with less than 300 regular attendees. We have three other major field sports to compete with and a culture that doesn't support teams week in week out. We have absolutely no history of a pyramid, meaning most clubs are happy as big fish in small ponds.

[pineapple stu]

I'm thinking of sorting out Afganistan before i get into the really tricky stuff like getting the local league Turkeys to vote for Christmas.
It's interesting that in that Miguel Delaney article, one third of the people Delaney approached would only agree to speak about a pyramid off the record. That's mental stuff. Afghanistan has nothing on the LoI!


Dokter should take the advice at the end of that quote; “Why bother”, “It’s a political nightmare.” and instil some principles of development.
What nonsense. Dokter is paid to improve the performance of the FAI - he should push for change, and not bow down to some lackey causing trouble because he's looking to keep his own regional fiefdom.


It's a compromise solution.
It's not a compromise solution. It's a failed solution. Has been for 100 years. Non-league clubs have no reason to push themselves. There's no new blood stirring things up in the league. Clubs can go bust and restart debt-free in the same division (Wexford and Waterford, how are you?) The FAI have a veto over who can and can't join the league. Everything about the current setup is daft.

[pineapple stu]

Imagine if Cabo and UCD were in the premier division?
Is UCD in the Premier that hard to imagine?


And sure, other european countries have pyramids. That doesn't mean it'll work here, that doesn't even mean it works there. Plenty of eastern european leagues where big clubs play in the same division as teams with less than 300 regular attendees. We have three other major field sports to compete with and a culture that doesn't support teams week in week out. We have absolutely no history of a pyramid, meaning most clubs are happy as big fish in small ponds.
It certainly works better than the current setup. Regional sides with a bit of ambition or money know they can rise to the top. Rubbish sides get dumped down a level and stop wasting teams' time finishing bottom of the same division year-in-year-out. That's a benefit for those clubs too - how do you get local interest if you're getting beaten every weekend?

Why is teams with crowds of 300 in the top flight an issue? If they're better than the teams in the lower division, that's the important bit. If they're bad (or badly run), they'll get relegated. If they want to decline promotion, they can do so (often happens due to licensing reasons anyway)

Lots of other countries have major sports to compete against; we need to stop trotting that out as an excuse. And "we don't have a history of something" isn't a reason not to do it. If we implement it, then we will have a history of it.

[legendz]

It's not a compromise solution. It's a failed solution. Has been for 100 years. Non-league clubs have no reason to push themselves. There's no new blood stirring things up in the league. Clubs can go bust and restart debt-free in the same division (Wexford and Waterford, how are you?) The FAI have a veto over who can and can't join the league. Everything about the current setup is daft.
It was a shot down solution mainly by clubs who begrudged having to be a part of it. The solution should be only involving clubs who do want to be a part of it.
Do you remember Cobh Ramblers being part of the A Championship for a few years? The likes of Waterford and Wexford from your example would have to rebuild in the intermediary league, if there was a team with a First Division licence ready to replace them.
The First Division got by with 8 teams for a few seasons. At least 8 teams between reserve and non-LoI would be the requirement to get an intermediary league up and running.
Kerry are the only non-LoI entity at u19 level. I'm not aware of 7 LoI clubs interested in fielding a B team. The current day interest is not there. ☹️

[Philosophizer]

Ruud Dokter also said you have to find a solution that suits the individuality of each country. An intermediary league is an Irish solution for an Irish problem.

I completely disagree. The intermediary league (which wasn't an awful idea) just didn't work in the end.
A proper pyramid structure is the only way to go. The disjointed nature of football leagues here just makes no sense.

[sbgawa]

The FAI should just impose a solution.
Decide which leagues to combine (like redrawing of dail constituencies) and then tell any leagues who don't fall into line they will be cut off from all Government money / FAI money, players wont be picked for National underage teams, no National insurance scheme , no international tickets etc etc until they do.
A big row and then we are off and running,
Like the smoking ban or smokeless coal, impossible until it wasnt

[pineapple stu]

Do you remember Cobh Ramblers being part of the A Championship for a few years?
Yes. What's your point?

I also remember Cobh applying to join the First Division and being rejected for no particular reason, and so they sat twiddling their thumbs for 2012 with nowhere to go. Another major black mark for the current setup.


The likes of Waterford and Wexford from your example would have to rebuild in the intermediary league, if there was a team with a First Division licence ready to replace them.
But the point you're missing is that the A Championship is just an extra level onto an already stupid system. It doesn't actually solve the problems; it just adds to them.

I'll ask you (again) to look at what happened Tralee Dynamos for evidence of how daft the A Championship was (and the associated problem of different seasons)

[EatYerGreens]

The FAI should just impose a solution.
Decide which leagues to combine (like redrawing of dail constituencies) and then tell any leagues who don't fall into line they will be cut off from all Government money / FAI money, players wont be picked for National underage teams, no National insurance scheme , no international tickets etc etc until they do.
A big row and then we are off and running,
Like the smoking ban or smokeless coal, impossible until it wasnt

The problem is that the FAI is a representative body, with the people affected by this having votes. So a few clubs/individuals would agitate around it and seek to have to voted down at the next AGM - and/or the removal of those pushing it.

The Government should acknowledge the difficulty of changing an organisation where self-interest is baked in structurally, and dictate that it will only provide funding in return for change. That way the FAI can just be the innocent party forced to deliver the change, and there is nothing to agitate for by Irish football's self-appointed tribal chiefs - because they'd effectively be campaigning against funding.

[pineapple stu]

If the Government dictates policy to the FAI, the FAI gets suspended from FIFA. Not an option.

Also, the Government is a representative body too, with the people affected by its decisions having votes. The switch at Joe Duffy would be clogged if the Government cut funding to some District League.

[legendz]

I completely disagree. The intermediary league (which wasn't an awful idea) just didn't work in the end.
A proper pyramid structure is the only way to go. The disjointed nature of football leagues here just makes no sense.
The seasoned pros on here like yourself and pineapple should be well aware that the pyramid doesn't have a hope of being built. The big fish in the small ponds do not want to budge. An intermediary league is the only solution and not even a possibility at this current time.

[pineapple stu]

That doesn't change the fact that it's the right way to progress, that the current setup is a mess, that an intermediary league isn't a solution to anything, and that you haven't actually got any points to back up your argument other than "It's not going to happen"

[EatYerGreens]

If the Government dictates policy to the FAI, the FAI gets suspended from FIFA. Not an option.

Also, the Government is a representative body too, with the people affected by its decisions having votes. The switch at Joe Duffy would be clogged if the Government cut funding to some District League.

It's a much more grey area than that.

The government provides funding to football. It therefore has a duty re how that public money is spent. It would be perfectly reasonable for it to state that it wants Irish football to have a less chaotic and more sensible and integrated structure. The rule around political intervention in football isn't about stuff like this anyway, so FIFA would hardly break a sweat over it all.

Of course the other option is for the issue to be all carrot. The government to say extra funding will be made available if Irish football goes down a certain route. Then leave it entirely up to those in the game if they want to voluntarily go down that route to secure extra money. That's football choosing to change itself.

[pineapple stu]

It's not the Government's job to decide what league structure is best for Irish football. That's way too detailed a level for it to be getting into, and the Government absolutely shouldn't be dictating such matters to the FAI.

FIFA statutes insist on "the independence of members and decision-making in each country" (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/5141866.stm)). It's hard to see how the Government telling the FAI to completely revamp its pyramid or else it would withhold funding wouldn't contravene that.

[EatYerGreens]

It's not the Government's job to decide what league structure is best for Irish football. That's way too detailed a level for it to be getting into, and the Government absolutely shouldn't be dictating such matters to the FAI.

FIFA statutes insist on "the independence of members and decision-making in each country" (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/5141866.stm)). It's hard to see how the Government telling the FAI to completely revamp its pyramid or else it would withhold funding wouldn't contravene that.

You didn't read what I wrote. Offering completely new, additional money with strings attached is not withholding money.

For me, the bottom line is that Irish football needs to change. And it looks unlikely that it will be able to change itself. Gurning on the internet about it is all very well, but solutions need to be identified. I've identified one possible route for this. What are your proposed solutions to deliver the change you want to see ?

[legendz]

That doesn't change the fact that it's the right way to progress, that the current setup is a mess, that an intermediary league isn't a solution to anything, and that you haven't actually got any points to back up your argument other than "It's not going to happen"
I agreed with the idea of a pyramid years back. I just moved on to accept the reality that it's a non-runner.
The league lacks a national vibrancy in my own humble opinion. The Youth Leagues have learned from the A Championship and have taken the common sense approach of only allowing non-LoI representation from areas without LoI clubs, bar one exception.
I merely suggest to extend that common sense approach to an intermediary league, accepting the reality that even it is a few years away from being a reasonable possibility.

[pineapple stu]

You didn't read what I wrote. Offering completely new, additional money with strings attached is not withholding money.

For me, the bottom line is that Irish football needs to change. And it looks unlikely that it will be able to change itself. Gurning on the internet about it is all very well, but solutions need to be identified. I've identified one possible route for this. What are your proposed solutions to deliver the change you want to see ?

It is interfering in the independence of members and decision-making though. And it's also simply not something the Government should be interfering in. The Sports Minister typically barely knows a thing about sport (not necessarily a bad thing), so for the Government to be imposing strategic decisions on sporting organisations should be an obvious no-no. Not to mention that you haven't addressed why you think the problem with the FAI making the decision (it's "a representative body, with the people affected by this having votes") doesn't apply to the Government (which is also a representative body, with the people affected by this having votes)

What's my solution? Change has to come from inside. What's going to drive that change? I don't know. I don't see any reason we won't be discussing this matter in 10-15 years' time to be quite honest. I do think that a decline in people playing 11-a-side is going to force some leagues into crisis talks as numbers shrink, and that may start something. But mergers of leagues is one thing; we still have to get over the most idiotically short-sighted decision the FAI has ever made, which is summer soccer. That's a big hurdle.

[EalingGreen]

If the Government dictates policy to the FAI, the FAI gets suspended from FIFA. Not an option.

You can work around that, as follows:

Govt says to FAI "We'll give you money for XYZ - but you don't have to accept it"

FAI says: "Fine, thanks for that" and distributes money according to Govt's wishes.

Or, FAI says "No, we don't like that, so no thanks"

In which case Govt says: "Fine, we'll keep our money".

In other words, FIFA cannot dictate to Govts how and to whom they (Govts) may distribute their money.

Nor will they want to pressure their Associations in such a way as it will cost them (Assocs) funding for no good reason.

EDIT: Just seen EYG's post #438 (and agree with it)

[pineapple stu]

What are you giving money for though? Changing league structure isn't something you can really cost - it's not the same as "we will give you some money for a new centre of excellence" or withholding stadium grants.

It makes it that bit harder to appear that you're not pressurising the FAI. You can be fairly sure too some local league bigwig will kick up a fuss about it.

And it still isn't the Government's place to dictate such strategic policy to any sporting organisation. And rightly so.

[EalingGreen]

It's not the Government's job to decide what league structure is best for Irish football. That's way too detailed a level for it to be getting into, and the Government absolutely shouldn't be dictating such matters to the FAI.

FIFA statutes insist on "the independence of members and decision-making in each country" (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/5141866.stm)). It's hard to see how the Government telling the FAI to completely revamp its pyramid or else it would withhold funding wouldn't contravene that.
But it's not "interfering" (i.e. dictating) if they (Govt) are "pushing on an open door".

That is, if the FAI Executive thinks eg a pyramid is good for football in ROI and can make a good case for it, then they discuss/agree it with the Govt before unveiling the plan publicly. Then if the Blazers and vested interests still oppose it, the Exec can inform them that if they don't agree, then there'll be no more money for them. Challenge them to cut off their nose to spite their face.

In other words, the only "politics" (small "p") needed is that within the FAI in sorting itself out.

[EalingGreen]

What are you giving money for though? Changing league structure isn't something you can really cost - it's not the same as "we will give you some money for a new centre of excellence" or withholding stadium grants.

Sorry, but you're talking about the administration and management of a policy, pretty basic stuff, really.

I mean, if the IFA can do it... ;)
https://www.irishfa.com/irish-football-association/intermediate-football-restructure-project



It makes it that bit harder to appear that you're not pressurising the FAI. You can be fairly sure too some local league bigwig will kick up a fuss about it.

And it still isn't the Government's place to dictate such strategic policy to any sporting organisation. And rightly so.
But if it's presented as the FAI's plan, which it should be, then it's not "interference".

The role of Govt is to provide "muscle" (i.e.funding) for the FAI to get its plan through in the face of any internal opposition.

[pineapple stu]

I agree it's pretty basic stuff. It's pathetic that we even have to discuss such a basic idea, tbh.

I don't see how you have it as the FAI's plan though. The FAI have never made the case for a pyramid; there's no open door here. Far too many people - with votes, unfortunately - are opposed to it. If they weren't, the FAI would just push it through themselves. But we have a position where FAI officials will only talk to a journalist on the topic off the record. That's how poisonous all this is.

[EalingGreen]

I don't see how you have it as the FAI's plan though. The FAI have never made the case for a pyramid; there's no open door here. Far too many people - with votes, unfortunately - are opposed to it. If they weren't, the FAI would just push it through themselves. But we have a position where FAI officials will only talk to a journalist on the topic off the record. That's how poisonous all this is.

When I term it as the "FAI's Plan", it has to come from the Executive. And their job is to get things through.

Don't believe that the IFA hasn't been hindered by small-time provincialism (literally!) just as much as the FAI. But they're managing to get round this, for instance Stormont/Sports Council telling them eg that the Board had to be reduced in numbers, with term limits, while non-Executive Director outsiders were to be appointed to reflect diversity and equality etc:
https://www.irishfa.com/news/2021/march/irish-fa-board-welcomes-three-new-members-following-council-meeting
Otherwise the money would be cut off.

Of course it's by no means perfect (big understatement!), but they are managing to get things done improving/re-organising the pyramid, right down from Senior to Junior football, via Intermediate.

[pineapple stu]

When I term it as the "FAI's Plan", it has to come from the Executive. And their job is to get things through.
I know that - but the Exec don't want it. Again, the article I linked showed that people can't even talk about it openly for fear of some sort of reprisal or political backstabbing. It's mad.

I completely agree with you that if the Exec had a plan and wanted to push it through, they could try talk to the Government and concoct an arrangement like you describe. (I'm not sure if the Government would be bothered getting on board, but that's a different matter)

But the situation EYG has described is where the Exec don't want this, the Government form the view that it's actually for in the FAI's best interests and try force their strategic view on the FAI. That's not going to happen, and shouldn't happen either. And I think it would fall foul of FIFA statutes.

[GUFCghost]

Is UCD in the Premier that hard to imagine?


It certainly works better than the current setup. Regional sides with a bit of ambition or money know they can rise to the top. Rubbish sides get dumped down a level and stop wasting teams' time finishing bottom of the same division year-in-year-out. That's a benefit for those clubs too - how do you get local interest if you're getting beaten every weekend?

Why is teams with crowds of 300 in the top flight an issue? If they're better than the teams in the lower division, that's the important bit. If they're bad (or badly run), they'll get relegated. If they want to decline promotion, they can do so (often happens due to licensing reasons anyway)

Lots of other countries have major sports to compete against; we need to stop trotting that out as an excuse. And "we don't have a history of something" isn't a reason not to do it. If we implement it, then we will have a history of it.

Not only do we not have a history of a pyramid, we have our own way of doing things entirely. Rugby and GAA clubs take pride in sending their young players to play for county/provincial sides. They're subservient to the local franchise, in America they'd be called farm teams. Ultimately if you want a pyramid you'll need teams willing and eager to move up, and we don't have a lot of those

UCD in the premier isn't hard to imagine, but it is embarrassing. A team of university students playing at the highest level isn't a good luck, and the fact they've developed no support after years in the league is shocking. Potential sponsors don't want to be associated with a league featuring a university vs a tiny suburb in a rugby ground with no proper spectator facilities